Tile Setting Structure and Method of Setting Tile

ABSTRACT

A method of setting tile includes constructing a floor panel and a plurality of wall panels and attaching each of the plurality of wall panels to either the floor panel or one of the other wall panels with a waterproof caulk. Each of the wall panels includes a first rigid layer, a second rigid layer attached to the first rigid layer by a thinset mortar, and a waterproofing layer formed of a flexible material and attached to the second rigid layer by the thinset mortar.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/408,843, filed May 10, 2019, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/670,292, filed May 11,2018.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tile setting structure and, moreparticularly, to a tile setting structure to which a tile is capable ofbeing attached and a method of setting tile using the tile settingstructure.

BACKGROUND

Tile in a residential or commercial structure, such as on the floor andwalls of a bathroom, has a number of different known application methodsto achieve a durable, watertight tiled structure. In various applicationmethods, multiple layers including a cement backing board, a vaporbarrier, and/or a waterproofing membrane are successively attached bothto studs defining the walls and a substrate of the floor forwaterproofing and structural support. In another application method, acomposite board is attached directly to the studs or substrate andserves as both a waterproofing layer and a structural support layer.Tile is then attached to the cement backing board, the waterproofingmembrane, or the composite board using a thinset mortar.

These known application methods are performed on-site. Cutting eachapplied layer to the proper size, sealing seams of the layers, andapplying multiple layers takes significant time and produces asubstantial amount of waste from cut material. Further, by attachingeach layer to the studs and substrate, dimensional errors in the studsor the substrate are carried through to the surface on which the tile isapplied. The application of tile to non-plumb, curved, or otherwisedimensionally imprecise surfaces is difficult and often results in afinished product that is not aesthetically pleasing.

Tiled structures including, for example, the finished walls and floor ofa bathroom, are sometimes prefabricated off-site to address some of theaforementioned issues. The prefabricated tiled structure or pod includeseverything from the inner tile layer to an exterior supportive steelframing. Although on-site installation is made more efficient, thesepods require both costly raw materials and excessive shipping costs dueto the size and weight of the finished pod.

SUMMARY

A method of setting tile includes constructing a floor panel and aplurality of wall panels and attaching each of the plurality of wallpanels to either the floor panel or one of the other wall panels with awaterproof caulk. Each of the wall panels includes a first rigid layer,a second rigid layer attached to the first rigid layer by a thinsetmortar, and a waterproofing layer formed of a flexible material andattached to the second rigid layer by the thinset mortar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying figures, of which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a tile setting structure accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the tile setting structure;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a wall panel of the tile settingstructure;

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view of the wall panel;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a floor panel of the tile settingstructure;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the floor panel;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an end of the wall panel and an end of thefloor panel; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an end of a first wall panel and an end ofa second wall panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be describedhereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, whereinlike reference numerals refer to like elements. The present inventionmay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure willconvey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

A tile setting structure 1 according to an embodiment is shown in FIGS.1 and 2. The tile setting structure 1 includes a plurality of wallpanels 10, a floor panel 30, and a plurality of seam systems 40.

The wall panels 10, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, are each comprised of aplurality of layers between an exterior side 10 a and a tile side 10 bopposite the exterior side 10 a. Each of the wall panels 10, startingfrom the exterior side 10 a, includes a first rigid layer 12, a secondrigid layer 14, a waterproofing layer 16, and a tile layer 18. As willbe described in greater detail below, a layer of thinset mortar 20attaches each of the layers 12, 14, 16, and 18 together. In anembodiment, the tile layer 18 and corresponding layer of thinset mortar20 can be omitted and the wall panel 10 includes the first rigid layer12, the second rigid layer 14, and the waterproofing layer 16, with thelayer of thinset mortar 20 attaching each of the layers 12, 14, and 16together.

Sectional views of the wall panels 10 and floor panel 30 are shown inFIGS. 3 and 5-7. A relative thickness of the layers in each of the wallpanels 10 and floor panel 30 as shown in FIGS. 3-6 is merelyillustrative and is not meant to be representative of a particularthickness of any of the layers. A particular thickness of any of thelayers should be interpreted as described herein in the description andnot as shown in the Figures.

The first rigid layer 12, shown in FIG. 3, has a first side facing theexterior side 10 a of the wall panel 10. The first rigid layer 12 isformed of a rigid, lightweight thermoplastic material. In an embodiment,the material of the first rigid layer 12 has a density less than orequal to 20 lb/ft³, a tensile strength of at least 120 psi, acompressive strength of at least 140 psi, and a shear strength of atleast 55 psi. In an embodiment, the first rigid layer 12 is formed of apolypropylene honeycomb material, and in an exemplary embodiment, isPLASCORE PP Polypropylene Honeycomb.

A first side of the second rigid layer 14, as shown in FIG. 3, isattached to a second side of the first rigid layer 12 opposite the firstside of the first rigid layer 12. The second rigid layer 14 is formed atleast in part of a rigid, lightweight thermoplastic material. In anembodiment, the second rigid layer 14 is formed a polystyrene foam. Inanother embodiment, the polystyrene foam of the second rigid layer 14 isreinforced with a glass fiber and coated with a cement on both sides andis capable of acting as a waterproof barrier, and in an exemplaryembodiment, is a WEDI building board. In an embodiment, the material ofthe second rigid layer 14 has a density less than or equal to 20 lb/ft³,a tensile strength of at least 60 psi, a compressive strength of atleast 30 psi, and a shear strength of at least 25 psi. In anotherembodiment, the second rigid layer 14 is formed of a same material asthe first rigid layer 12.

The first side of the second rigid layer 14 is attached to the secondside of the first rigid layer 12 by a thinset mortar 20 as shown in FIG.3. The thinset mortar 20 may be any type of thinset mortar used by thosewith ordinary skill in the art in construction applications. In anembodiment, the thinset mortar 20 is a MEGALITE RS mortar. The thinsetmortar 20 is applied to the second side of the first rigid layer 14 andthe second rigid layer 14 is attached thereto according to methods ofthinset application known and widely used in the art.

A first side of the waterproofing layer 16, as shown in FIG. 3, isattached to a second side of the second rigid layer 14 opposite thefirst side of the second rigid layer 14 by the thinset mortar 20. Invarious embodiments, the waterproofing layer 16 is formed of anon-plasticized elastomer or a polyethylene. In an embodiment, thewaterproofing layer 16 is formed from an alloy of chlorinatedpolyethylene (CPE) and has a polyester fabric laminated to both sides,and in an exemplary embodiment, is DALTILE Dal-Seal TS. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the waterproofing layer 16 is SCHLUTER-KERDIwaterproof membrane. In other embodiments, the waterproofing layer 16may be formed of any flexible, sheet-like material capable of being usedas a waterproof barrier in construction applications and adherable tothe thinset mortar 20.

For each wall panel 10, a size of a continuous piece of the first rigidlayer 12 dictates an overall height in a height direction Z and width ina width direction X of the wall panel 10 shown in FIG. 4. If a height orwidth of a continuous piece 14-1, 14-2 of the second rigid layer 14 isless than a height or width of the first rigid layer 12, seams 14 a areproduced on the wall panel 10 where the pieces 14-1, 14-2 of secondrigid layer 14 abut one another. Pieces 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 of thewaterproofing layer 16 are applied on the second rigid layer 14 suchthat any seams 14 a in the second rigid layer 14 are at leastpredominantly overlapped by a continuous piece 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 of thewaterproofing layer 16; pieces 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 of the waterproofinglayer 16 are arranged such that any seams in the waterproofing layer 16do not completely align with any seams 14 a in the second rigid layer14. Further, pieces 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 of the waterproofing layer 16 arearranged to have an area of overlap 16 a at the seams of the pieces16-1, 16-2, 16-3 in order to form a continuous waterproof barrier. InFIG. 4, the relative sizes of the pieces of the layers 14 and 16, thenumber of the seams, and the locations of the seams are merelyillustrative.

A first side of the tile layer 18, as shown in FIG. 3, is attached to asecond side of the waterproofing layer 16 opposite the first side of thewaterproofing layer 16 by the thinset mortar 20. The tile layer 18includes a plurality of tiles 18-1 to 18-n, as shown in FIG. 4, eachattached by the thinset mortar 20 to the waterproofing layer 16. As isknown in the art, the tiles 18-1 to 18-n within the tile layer 18 mayhave grout disposed between them. The tiles 18-1 to 18-n may be any typeof tile known to those with ordinary skill in the art including anyshape, pattern, color, or texture known in the art. The tiles 18-1 to18-n may also be a ceramic tile, a porcelain tile, a decorative glasstile, an aluminum tile, or any other tile material known to those withordinary skill in the art. The tiles 18-1 to 18-n may also vary withinone tile layer 18. In an embodiment, the tile layer 18 is omitted fromthe wall panel 10 and the wall panel 10 only includes the layers 12, 14,and 16 attached by the thinset mortar 20. In an embodiment, a thicknessof the wall panel 10 between the exterior side 10 a and the tile side 10b is approximately 1.25″.

The floor panel 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, is comprised of aplurality of layers between an exterior side 30 a and a tile side 30 bopposite the exterior side 30 a. Some of the layers of the floor panel30 are the same as layers of the wall panel 10 and, for these layers,like reference numbers indicate like elements.

The floor panel 30 includes a reinforcing layer 32 having a first sidefacing the exterior side 30 a of the floor panel 30 as shown in FIG. 5.The reinforcing layer 32 is formed of a thin, stiff material. In anembodiment, the reinforcing layer 32 is formed of a sheet of metal, andin an exemplary embodiment, is formed of a sheet of galvanized steel ortin.

A first side of the first rigid layer 12 of the floor panel 30, as shownin FIG. 5, is attached to a second side of the reinforcing layer 32opposite the first side of the reinforcing layer 32 by an adhesive layer34. The adhesive layer 34 is a multi-surface adhesive and, in anembodiment, is a water-based multi-surface bonding primer (MBP).

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the floor panel 30 has a flatsection 36 and a sloped section 38. In various applications of the tilesetting structure 1, the floor panel 30 may need to be completely flat,completely sloped, or include both flat and sloped portions. In variousembodiments, the floor panel 30 may therefore be entirely comprised ofthe flat section 36, entirely comprised of the sloped section 38, or, asshown in FIG. 5, include both flat sections 36 and sloped sections 38.The slope of the slope section 38 shown in FIG. 5 is merely exemplary.

An exemplary arrangement of the flat section 36 and sloped section 38 isshown in FIGS. 1 and 6. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a majority ofthe floor panel 30 is the flat section 36; the sloped section 38 issloped from the flat section 36 and ends in a drain passageway 31extending through all the layers of the floor panel 30. As would beunderstood by one with ordinary skill in the art, the flat sections 36and sloped sections 38 may be arranged differently in a wide variety oftiled floor applications. For example, in bathroom applications, onewith ordinary skill in the art would understand that the location of adrain, size of the floor, and shape of the floor will dictate therequired flat sections 36 and sloped sections 38 of the floor panel 30.

In the flat section 36, as shown in FIG. 5, a first side of the secondrigid layer 14 is attached to a second side of the first rigid layer 12opposite the first side of the first rigid layer 12 by the thinsetmortar 20. A first side of the waterproofing layer 16 is attached to asecond side of the second rigid layer 14 opposite the first side of thesecond rigid layer 14 by the thinset mortar 20. The orientation of thepieces of the second rigid layer 14 and the pieces of the waterproofinglayer 16 in the flat section 36 is the same as that described withrespect to FIG. 4 above. A first side of the tile layer 18 is attachedto a second side of the waterproofing layer 16 opposite the first sideof the waterproofing layer 16 by the thinset mortar 20.

In the sloped section 38, as shown in FIG. 5, a sloping mortar 39 isapplied to a second side of the first rigid layer 12 opposite the firstside of the first rigid layer 12. The sloping mortar 39 may be any typeof fast-drying, cement-based mortar known in the art and capable ofbeing applied in a sloping orientation. As described above, the slopingmortar 39 may be set to have any slope or shape desired for theapplication. The first side of the waterproofing layer 16, which may becontinuous with the waterproofing layer 16 in the flat section 36, isapplied to the sloping mortar 39 on a side opposite the first rigidlayer 12 and is attached by the adhesive properties of the slopingmortar 39. A first side of the tile layer 18 is attached to a secondside of the waterproofing layer 16 opposite the first side of thewaterproofing layer 16 by the thinset mortar 20.

Like the wall panel 10 described above, in an embodiment, the tile layer18 is omitted from the floor panel 30 and the floor panel 30 onlyincludes the layers 32, 12, 14, and 16 in the flat section 36 and thelayers 32, 12, 39, and 16 in the sloped section 38. In an embodiment, anoverall thickness of the flat section 36 between the exterior side 30 aand the tile side 30 b is approximately 1.6″ and a minimum overallthickness of the sloped section 38 between the exterior side 30 a andthe tile side 30 b is approximately 1.25″.

The assembly of the tile setting structure 1 will now be described ingreater detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 8.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, depending on the application, all or at leastsome of the wall panels 10 are attached to the floor panel 30 to formthe tile setting structure 1; each of the wall panels 10 extends in adirection perpendicular to a direction of the floor panel 30. Theattachment of one of the wall panels 10 to the floor panel 30 is shownin FIG. 7 and applies similarly to the attachment of any wall panel 10to the floor panel 30. In FIG. 7, all elements of the floor panel 30 arelabeled as, for example, 30′ to avoid confusion with elements of thewall panel 10 attached to the floor panel 30′. As is clear from FIG. 7,though, all elements of the floor panel 30′ are intended to be the sameas the elements of floor panel 30 described above.

As shown in FIG. 7, an end of the wall panel 10 and an end of the floorpanel 30′ that are attached to one another are cut in a stepped mannerto facilitate the attachment. An end of the first rigid layer 12 of thewall panel 10 is positioned to abut a ground surface G and an end of thefirst rigid layer 12′ of the floor panel 30′. The second rigid layer 14is cut from the end of the wall panel 10 in the height direction Z by aheight of the reinforcing layer 32′, the adhesive layer 24′, and thefirst rigid layer 12′ in the height direction Z. The second rigid layer14′ is cut from an end of the floor panel 30′ in a length direction Y bya length of the second rigid layer 14 of the wall panel 10 in the lengthdirection Y. The waterproofing layer 16 is cut from the end of the wallpanel 10 in the height direction Z by a height of the reinforcing layer32′, the adhesive layer 24′, the first rigid layer 12′, and the secondrigid layer 14′ in the height direction Z.

The ends of the wall panel 10 and the floor panel 30′ are positioned inabutment with one another such that the first rigid layers 12, 12′ abutone another, the second rigid layers 14, 14′ abut one another, and thewaterproofing layer 16′ of the floor panel 30′ overlaps thewaterproofing layer 16 of the wall panel 10, as shown in FIG. 7. One ofthe seam systems 40 is used to attach the ends of the wall panel 10 andthe floor panel 30′ together.

The seam system 40, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, includes a thinset mortar20″, a waterproof caulk 22, and a bonding agent 44. The waterproof caulk22 is applied between the abutting ends of the first rigid layers 12,12′ and the abutting ends of the second rigid layers 14, 14′. Thewaterproof caulk 22 provides an initial adhesive attaching the wallpanel 10 to the floor panel 30′. The bonding agent 44 is applied toadhere the overlapped waterproofing layers 16, 16′ to one another. Thebonding agent 44 may be any type of adhesive capable of adhering thewaterproofing layers 16, 16′ to one another. In an embodiment, thebonding agent 44 is NOBLEBOND EXT. The tile layers 18, 18′ may beattached to the waterproofing layers 16, 16′ prior to or after theattachment of the wall panel 10 to the floor panel 30′.

The wall panels 10 are attached to one another as shown in FIG. 8. InFIG. 8, all elements of one of the wall panels 10 are labeled as, forexample, 10′ to avoid confusion with elements of the other wall panel 10attached to the wall panel 10′. As is clear from FIG. 8, though, allelements of the wall panel 10′ are the same as elements of the wallpanel 10. The thinset mortar 20″ is the same as the thinset mortar 20described above and is labeled thinset mortar 20″ in FIG. 8 only toindicate where the thinset mortar 20″ is applied during attachment ofthe already constructed wall panels 10.

As shown in FIG. 8, an end of the wall panel 10 and an end of the wallpanel 10′ that are attached to one another are cut in a stepped mannerto facilitate the attachment. An end of the first rigid layer 12 of thewall panel 10 is positioned to abut an end of the first rigid layer 12′of the wall panel 10′. The second rigid layer 14 is cut from the end ofthe wall panel 10 in the length direction Y by a length of the firstrigid layer 12′ in the length direction Y. The second rigid layer 14′ iscut from an end of the wall panel 10′ in the width direction X by awidth of the second rigid layer 14 of the wall panel 10 in the widthdirection X. The waterproofing layer 16 is cut from the end of the wallpanel 10 in the length direction Y by a length of the first rigid layer12′ and the second rigid layer 14′ in the length direction Y.

The ends of the wall panel 10 and the wall panel 10′ are positioned inabutment with one another such that the first rigid layers 12, 12′ abutone another, the second rigid layers 14, 14′ abut one another, and thewaterproofing layer 16′ of the wall panel 10′ overlaps the waterproofinglayer 16 of the wall panel 10, as shown in FIG. 8. One of the seamsystems 40 is used to attach the ends of the wall panel 10 and the wallpanel 10′ together. The waterproof caulk 22 is applied between theabutting ends of the first rigid layers 12, 12′ and the abutting ends ofthe second rigid layers 14, 14′ to provide an initial attachment of thewall panels 10, 10′ to each other. The bonding agent 44 is applied toadhere the overlapped waterproofing layers 16, 16′ to one another. Thetile layers 18, 18′ may be attached to the waterproofing layers 16, 16′prior to or after the attachment of the wall panel 10 to the wall panel10′.

For the attachment of the wall panels 10, 10′, the seam system 40includes an outer seam layer 42. The outer seam layer 42, as shown inFIG. 8, covers a seam between the wall panels 10, 10′ and is attached bythe thinset mortar 20″ to both the exterior side 10 a of the wall panel10 and the exterior side 10 a′ of the wall panel 10′. In an embodiment,the outer seam layer 42 is formed of a same material as thewaterproofing layer 16 described above. In other embodiments, the outerseam layer 42 may be formed of any flexible, sheet-like material capableof being used as a waterproof barrier.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the wall panels 10, 10′ are attachedat a 90° angle. In other embodiments, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thewalls panels 10, 10′ may be similarly attached with the seam system 40at any angle by adjusting an angle of the cuts described above, or thewall panels 10, 10′ may be attached with the seam system 40 end-to-endand extending in a same direction without requiring any of the cutsdescribed above.

A method of setting tile using the tile setting structure 1 will now bedescribed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The tile setting structure 1, when fully constructed as shown in FIGS. 1and 2, forms the tiled walls and tiled floor of a tiled room. In theshown embodiment, the tile setting structure 1 forms the tiled walls andtiled floor of a bathroom. The tiled room formed by the tile settingstructure 1 is a tiled room of a residential or commercial structure. Inthe following description, the residential or commercial structure inwhich the tile setting structure 1 is installed is referred to as“on-site” and a location remote from the residential or commercialstructure, such that it would require shipping or other movement of thetile setting structure 1 to arrive on-site, is referred to as“off-site.”

The plurality of wall panels 10 and the floor panel 30 are constructedoff-site. Outer dimensions of the wall panels 10 and floor panel 30 arecut off-site according to specific dimensions of the tiled room providedfor the on-site installation. Passageways and recesses specific for theon-site installation are also cut off-site in the wall panels 10 andfloor panel 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, for example, the floor panel30 may be cut off-site to the specified outer dimensions with aspecified sloped section 38 leading to a cut drain passageway 31 havinga specified location. Likewise for the wall panels 10, as shown in theexemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, a fixture passageway 11 aextending through all the layers of one of the wall panels 10 may be cutoff-site. In various embodiments, the fixture passageway 11 a may beused to accommodate plumbing, electrical outlets, or any other devicecommonly installed in a wall of a tiled room. A frame passageway 11 bextending through all the layers of one of the wall panels 10, and sizedto accommodate ingress and egress, may also be cut off-site. A supportrecess 19 may also be cut out from the first rigid layer 12 of any ofthe wall panels 10 as shown in FIG. 2; in an embodiment, the supportrecess 19 receives a plate or other support member to which a fixture onthe tile side 10 b, such as a towel bar, can be screwed to the wallpanel 10.

After construction and cutting of the wall panels 10 and floor panel 30,the wall panels 10 and floor panels 30 are shipped from the off-sitelocation to the on-site location. In an embodiment, the separate wallpanels 10 and floor panels 30 are stacked on top of one another andshipped flat. In this embodiment, the assembly described above and shownin FIGS. 7 and 8 occurs on-site and at least corner sections of the tilelayers 18 are attached on-site after the tile setting structure 1 isassembled. In another embodiment, the tile setting structure 1 isentirely pre-fabricated off-site, either including the tile layers 18 ornot including the tile layers 18, and shipped in the assembled stateshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the on-site location.

When fully assembled and installed on-site, the tile setting structure 1is sufficiently rigid to be free-standing and does not requireattachment to existing studs on-site. The tile setting structure 1 has asignificantly lower weight than existing pre-fabricated tiled structuresand is less expensive to ship; shipping costs are further reduced by thecapability of shipping the tile setting structure 1 flat prior toassembly. By fabricating the wall panels 10 and floor panel 30 to aparticular specification off-site, waste during production is reduced,saving additional costs, and the pre-cut fixture passageways 11 a limiton-site errors by directing installation performed by othertradespeople. Additionally, by not attaching to the studs and bypre-fabricating the tile setting structure 1 in a controlled environmentto be flat, any dimensional errors in the studs or the substrate are notcarried through to the surface on which the tile is applied.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of setting tile, comprising:constructing a floor panel and a plurality of wall panels, each of thewall panels including a first rigid layer, a second rigid layer attachedto the first rigid layer by a thinset mortar, and a waterproofing layerformed of a flexible material and attached to the second rigid layer bythe thinset mortar; and attaching each of the plurality of wall panelsto either the floor panel or one of the other wall panels with awaterproof caulk.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising shippingthe floor panel and the plurality of wall panels from an off-sitelocation to an on-site location.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theconstructing step occurs at the off-site location.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the attaching step occurs at the off-site location. 5.The method of claim 2, wherein the attaching step occurs at the on-sidelocation.
 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising cutting the floorpanel and the plurality of wall panels to a specific dimension of theon-site location at the off-site location.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the attaching step includes cutting an end of a first wall panelof the wall panels and at least one of an end of a second wall panel ofthe wall panels or an end of the floor panel in a stepped manner.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the attaching step includes attaching the endof the first wall panel to the end of the second wall panel and/or theend of the floor panel.
 9. The method of claim 2, further comprisingtiling the plurality of wall panels and the floor panel with a pluralityof tiles each attached to the wall panels and the floor panel by thethinset mortar.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the tiling stepoccurs at the off-site location.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein thewall panels at not attached to any elements at the on-site location. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first rigid layer and thesecond rigid layer are formed of a thermoplastic material.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the first rigid layer is formed of apolypropylene honeycomb material.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinthe second rigid layer is formed of a polystyrene foam.
 15. The methodof claim 1, wherein the floor panel includes a first rigid layer formedof a same material as the first rigid layer of the wall panel and awaterproofing layer formed of a same material as the waterproofing layerof the wall panel.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the floor panelincludes a reinforcing layer, the first rigid layer of the floor panelis attached to the reinforcing layer by an adhesive layer.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the floor panel has a flat section and asloped section.
 18. The method of claim 1, further comprising attachingan end of a first wall panel of the wall panels to an end of a secondwall panel of the wall panels with a seam system.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the seam system includes the waterproof caulkattaching the first rigid layer of the first wall panel to the firstrigid layer of the second wall panel and a bonding agent adhering thewaterproofing layer of the first wall panel to the waterproofing layerof the second wall panel.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the seamsystem includes an outer seam layer formed of a same material as thewaterproofing layer, the outer seam layer is disposed to cover a seambetween the first wall panel and the second wall panel and is attachedto the first rigid layer of the first wall panel and the first rigidlayer of the second wall panel by the thinset mortar.